Applicant's invention relates, in part, to the prosthetic replacement of ribs which are absent or effectively non-functional as a congenital condition or as a result of injury or disease. Applicant's invention further relates, in part, to a novel treatment of scoliosis and of symptoms commonly associated therewith. Finally, the device of Applicant's invention may be used as a platform to which fractured ribs may be attached during the healing process.
Presently, ribs which are actually or effectively absent due to trauma or congenital defect may be prosthetically replaced to a limited degree. The presently available and moderately effective prosthesis consists of one or more steel rods attached to and spanning vertically between existing natural ribs. This creates an artificial albeit perpendicularly oriented substitute for the missing ribs and vital protection for the cardiovascular and peripheral tissues.
The presently available prosthesis has significant limitations, the most notable of which when used in children is its inability to accommodate growth. As a child grows the distance between any two natural ribs increases. To prevent substantial disfigurement, possible injury to the spinal column, and constriction of the cardiovascular system, the radical surgical procedure of implanting the presently available prosthesis must be repeated periodically to implant longer prostheses.
Scoliosis is a condition evidenced by abnormal curvature of one or more segments of the vertebral column. Scoliosis in its extreme forms results in tragic disfigurement and injury to the spinal cord. A vertebral column affected by scoliosis often assumes a serpentine configuration when viewed posteriorly or anteriorly.
At present, generally accepted treatment for scoliosis is available in two forms: 1) forced reorientation through the use of external braces; and 2) posterior spinal fusion. Even with adult patients, braces slip, are uncomfortable and confining, and lack direct access to the skeletal components (the ribs) which they are intended to manipulate. In children, particularly the very young, braces constitute a completely impractical treatment option. Spinal fusion is likewise undesirable, particularly with respect to young children, because growth of the spinal column is permanently arrested. In the case of a very young child for whom spinal fusion is performed, his or her vertebral column will remain at its present size while the rest of the body grows at a more or less normal rate. The resulting disfigurement is profound and, in fact, life threatening in some cases.
Both rib humps and chest concavities may be modified in an aesthetically desireable manner by altering the rib structure which contributes to the deformity. Such alteration involves selectively fracturing, reorienting, and (in some cases) effecting a gradual elongation of the involved ribs. The fractured ribs in any case should be immobilized to promote fast healing with the intended final orientation.
Applicant's invention addresses each of the above-identified situations with respect to prosthetic rib replacement and the treatment of scoliosis and is further useful in the immobilization of fractured ribs, whether fractured through trauma or as part of treatment of rib deformities.